House Voting on Funding Patch          09/19 06:05

   Republican and Democratic lawmakers show no signs of budging as the House 
takes up a bill Friday to avert a partial government shutdown in less than two 
weeks.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican and Democratic lawmakers show no signs of 
budging as the House takes up a bill Friday to avert a partial government 
shutdown in less than two weeks.

   The bill would generally continue existing funding levels through Nov. 21. 
Democratic leaders are adamantly opposed and are threatening a government 
shutdown if Republicans don't let them have a say on the measure, as some 
Democratic support will be needed to get a bill to the president's desk for his 
signature.

   House Speaker Mike Johnson has few votes to spare as he seeks to persuade 
Republicans to vote for the funding patch, something many in his conference 
have routinely opposed in past budget fights. But this time, GOP members see a 
chance to portray the Democrats as responsible for a shutdown, which would 
begin Oct. 1, unless Congress acts.

   In a sign the vote could be close, President Donald Trump weighed in 
Thursday, urging House Republicans to pass the bill and put the burden on 
Democrats to oppose it. GOP leaders often need Trump's help to win over 
holdouts on legislation.

   "Every House Republican should UNIFY, and VOTE YES!" Trump said on his 
social media site.

   Republicans can pass the bill in the House if they stay united, and the 
speaker expressed confidence Thursday he had the votes.

   "We're going to get this government funded," Johnson said.

   Across the Capitol, though, Senate Democrats are hoping the public will 
support their proposal to head off a big increase next year in health insurance 
premiums for millions of Americans who purchase coverage through the 
marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. They unveiled their own 
funding plan to extend the enhanced health insurance subsidies set to expire at 
the end of the year, plus reverse Medicaid cuts that were included in 
Republicans' "big beautiful bill" enacted earlier this year.

   "The American people will look at what Republicans are doing, look at what 
Democrats are doing, and it will be clear that public sentiment will be on our 
side," said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who has repeatedly 
threatened a shutdown if health care isn't addressed.

   Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the Senate will vote on the 
House bill Friday, if it passes, along with the dueling Democratic proposal. 
But neither is expected to win the 60 votes necessary for passage.

   Senators could then potentially leave town until Sept. 29 -- one day before 
the shutdown deadline. The Senate has a scheduled recess next week because of 
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year.

   Democrats on both sides of the Capitol are watching Schumer closely after 
his last-minute decision in March to vote with Republicans to keep the 
government open. Schumer argued then that a shutdown would be damaging and 
would give Trump and his White House freedom to make more government cuts. Many 
on the left revolted, with some advocates calling for his resignation.

   The vote in the spring also caused a temporary schism with House Democratic 
Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who opposed the GOP spending bill and said he would not 
be "complicit" with Schumer's vote.

   The two Democratic leaders now say they are united, and Schumer says things 
have changed since March. The public is more wary of Trump and Republicans, 
Schumer says, after the passage of Medicaid cuts.

   Most Democrats appear to be backing Schumer's demand that there be 
negotiations on the bill -- and support his threats of a shutdown, even as it 
is unclear how they would get out of it.

   Republicans say the blame would be clearly on the other side if they can't 
pass a bill -- and are using Schumer's previous arguments against shutdowns 
against him.

   "Democrats would love nothing more to put in our lap a shutdown. It's not 
going to happen. If it does, it's on them," said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a 
member of the House Freedom Caucus, whose members have frequently opposed 
short-term funding bills, known as continuing resolutions.

   Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, said: "Senator 
Schumer himself said that passing a clean CR will avert a harmful and 
unnecessary shutdown. Now he wants to cause a harmful and unnecessary shutdown."